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“Sixteen year old Aidan’s grandmother has a secret recipe. She feeds ghosts.”

This opening line in the flyleaf description of A Gathering of Shades is what made me take the book home. An old lady who feeds ghosts. What a powerfully creepy image. And I must say that I wasn’t disappointed. This story is one of the better books for teens I’ve read in a long time. Evocative, eerie, and heartbreaking…all at once.

Aidan’s grandmother does indeed feed ghosts, but he doesn’t find out until a few days after he and his mother arrive back at the family homestead in The Kingdom, an area in upper Vermont. After Aidan’s father is killed in a car accident, his mother decides to pull up stakes from the suburbs of Boston and head back home to heal. Aidan, having only visited The Kingdom as a child and having listened to his father talk about how much he hated it when he was growing up, is less than thrilled about the move. He’s uncomfortable around his odd grandmother, but is curious enough about her lengthy after-dinner walks that he follows her one night and discovers her secret. She’s been feeding the ghosts of The Kingdom for years, helping them pass the time until they’re ready to move on. She’s surprised that Aidan can see the ghosts, but seems pleased to have flesh-and-blood company among the ectoplasm, until she figures out that Aidan joins her every evening only because he’s hopeful his father’s ghost will put in an appearance. Aidan spends the better part of the summer chasing his father’s ghost until he finally manages to say goodbye.

There are plenty of messages here, but none are pushed to the point of being annoying. The futility of chasing ghosts, the difficulty of moving on and letting go after a tragedy, the reliving the memories of the dead time and again…all are addressed with lovely, gentle writing. Reading this story is a little like floating down a stream tucked in an inner tube. Give it a try…

Let me begin by saying I respect John Briant’s 20-odd years of experience as a NYS Trooper, but then let me add that all the law enforcement experience in the world cannot make a person a good writer. And unfortunately that is the case with The Adirondack Detective. The book reads like a collection of stories Briant might have reminisced about with his trooper buddies over a couple cold ones in a little mountain bar. The writing is juvenile at best, and, well, just plain bad at it’s worst. The dialog is stiff and disjointed, the descriptive passages are awful, and the story is boring and tiresome. I am so disappointed.

I borrowed this book from the Brockport Library so I could read it before I bought it for Ogden. I’m glad I did, because it would have been a waste of money. What I don’t understand is how this guy has had so many books published. I’m going to have to get one of his more recent books and see if the writing has improved. The reviews on Amazon are all pretty good…so maybe Briant has gotten better. I will let you know….

I confess. I love Sherlock Holmes. I grew up reading the Conan Doyle stories, and as an adult reader, I have found great enjoyment…and some disappointment…in the ways other authors have decided to write about the great detective. Of all the Holmes treatments out there, I have to say that Laurie King’s Mary Russell series is far and away my favorite, although Carol Nelson Douglas runs a close second with her Irene Adler series. Even so, I almost always pick up any new book that has Sherlock as a character. And so, it was with great delight that I found Nancy Springer’s The Case of the Missing Marquess, which introduces a lovely new character — Enola Holmes, much younger sister of the Great Detective.

The story opens with Enola pondering the backwards meaning of her name — alone — as she waits for her mother to return to their home. Mum never shows up, and Enola is at first angry because it is, after all, her birthday; but then when Mum is still missing the following day, Enola becomes frightened. After a fruitless search of the rain-soaked grounds, Enola reluctantly sends to London for her two much older brothers…Sherlock and Mycroft. Once they arrive, Enola slowly learns more about the rift between her mother and brothers, and gradually loses hope that the men will find her mother. Enola also learns more about her mother, and even more about the way women are expected to behave in polite society. She rebels against Mycroft’s attempts to “civilize” her, and ditches the whole family while she in enroute to boarding school. In usual Holmesian fashion, Enola then gets caught up in the disappearance of the wealthy son of a Duke. Her adventures are plenty fun and well worthy of the Holmes moniker.

I was particularly struck by the cleverness of the female characters here, and Enola herself says at the end that she has discovered a whole world of feminine secrets that her brother Sherlock, no matter how brilliant his mind, will never penetrate. She uses those secrets to communicate with her mother, who, like Enola, freed herself from the confines of polite society and has chosen to spend the rest of her days roaming the countryside with Gypsies, “blooming in the sun.” I liked this story, and really liked Enola. It’s a short book, and is intended for a younger audience, say 12 and up. Holmes fans will definitely want to become acquainted with this newest member of the family.

I was browsing the Teen shelf at the library last night as I was waiting to shut down a computer at closing time, and what did I see? Nancy Drew, Girl Detective #4: The Girl Who Wasn’t There! Oh yeah! Nancy is now a graphic novel. How cool is that?

I checked it out, toted it home and read it in 15 minutes. Loved it. Nancy Drew and graphic novels — what a nifty combination. I read it again over my cereal this morning and paid a little closer attention to the artwork this time around. I was taken back to the Wonder Woman comics of my youth. Very similar style. The story was pretty good too. Very international…where Nancy becomes friends with an Indian woman who answers her call to a computer help desk in India. When the woman calls her in the middle of the night and seems to be in trouble, Nancy, Bess & George hop on a plane and wing their way to New Delhi. Once there, they encounter resistance every step of the way, but Nancy is not deterred. Not only does she rescue her friend, but she breaks up a DVD smuggling ring along the way.

Yes, this is cotton candy for the brain, but so what? Everyone told me the same thing when I was 8 and devouring every Nancy Drew book I could get my hands on. And look at me now. Still reading fluff and loving every minute of it.

FROM THE PUBLISHER…

Last night at the library, I was asked to recommend a funny book for a fifth grader. I immediately thought of two authors that crack me up every single time I read them — Barbara Robinson and Jean Shepherd. These two women have written the Holy Trinity of funny kids books and I *highly* recommend them to kids and adults alike….

A Christmas Story by Jean Shepherd.

Yep. The one and the same as the ubiquitous movie that is shown 24 hours a day from Thanksgiving to Christmas. The adventures of Ralphie, Flick, and the Old Man are absolutely hilarious. Fans of the movie will find the book very similar, and anyone who grew up in the 1950s or 1960s will appreciate the “historical” references. I am especially fond of the Old Man and his forays into the basement to deal with the “clanky old son of bitch” furnace that never stayed lit, or the pack of neighborhood dogs that ate the Christmas ham.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson

The Herdmans are one of the funniest (and saddest) literary families ever. We all know or knew a family like the Herdmans, where it seemed like there were a million kids in the family, and they all ran wild. The Herdmans joined the cast of the local Christmas pageant just so they can get free donuts, but end up learning a little bit about themselves and what Christmas is all about.

AND…..

The Best Halloween Ever by Barbara Robinson

The Herdmans are back, but this year they’ve ruined Halloween. The town cancels Halloween because the Herdmans routinely ruin it by setting fires and stealing everyone’s candy. The school faculty attempt to salvage some of the fun by putting on a Halloween party & haunted house, but the Herdmans crash…with unexpected results.

Three of my all-time favorites. Share ’em with your kids or read ’em to yourself. Either way, you will laugh until ya can’t laugh no more….

I started a whole bunch of books over the Christmas holiday. Finished some, put some aside. Here they are…

• The World According to Martha – Pretty much a book of quotations masquerading as business advice from Martha Stewart. Nothing earthshattering, and nothing that changed my life forever. The thread count of sheets sold at K-Mart really isn’t at the top of my Most Important Things To Know list, but I did enjoy reading her philosophy on working hard and being the best. I can’t help it. She fascinates me!
• Kringle by Tony Abbott. The story of Kris Kringle, even though everyone knows he was raised by Tante Kringle and the Kringles, the first toymakers to the King. Almost finished with it. Scott stole it away from me just when it was getting good. Kringle’s caregiver had just been stolen by goblins, and he had finally made his way to the nearest city, only to find it a heap of smoking ruins. Should finish it tonight….
• Talk to the Hand: The Utter Bloody Rudeness of the World Today, or Six Good Reasons to Stay Home and Bolt the Door by Lynn Truss – An utter, bloody waste of time. The author had some success with Eats Shoots and Leaves which was her lament on the state of grammar in the 21st century, but she totally missed the mark on this one. Totally not funny.
• The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl – a murder mystery set in the young U.S. and featuring such luminaries as Longfellow, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and James Russell Lowell. I usually like mysteries based on books, but this one has only served to remind me of how much I hated Dante’s Inferno in high school.
• Sweet & Sour Lily by Sally Warner – one of Lizzy’s books from school. I think it’s terribly easy reading for her, but she says no. One of the few early chapter books I’ve read that features a young character who’s father is in jail. Kind of a light read in the vein of Ramona Quimby, but not as well drawn.

The 12/18 Sunday edition of the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle had an interview with Francesca Lia Block, creator of perhaps the hippest chick to ever hit young adult literature — Weetzie Bat. I confess I’d sort of forgotten about Weetzie, until I turned to the Books page in the paper and saw Block sitting there, a dark haired waif all in white, commanding the whole top half of the page. Block is back and is dragging Weetzie with her, although Weetzie is now a grown up 40 year old with two daughters and is about to break up for good with her Secret Agent Lover Man, Max. I’m off to the bookstore tomorrow to find this book. I have to know what’s happened to Weetzie, Max, Cherokee Bat and the Goat Guys and all the other colorful characters from Block’s surreal world. In the meantime, I thought I’d resurrect a couple old review I wrote of two of Block’s later books…

I Was a Teenage Fairy by Francesca Lia Block

For some reason, Jim Morrison’s L.A. Woman kept going through my head as I read this one. Maybe it’s because Block describes Los Angeles as a “woman reclining billboard model.” Who knows….Anyway, Teenage Fairy is different. Different from the magical unreality of Weetzie Bat and different from the dark fantasy of Hanged Man. But different in a good way. Barbie Markowitz, named for the ubiquitous doll, has little magic in her life until the arrival of Mab, a true, real fairy of the fluttery-gossamer-winged variety, but with a definite edge. Mab has sharp little teeth and a healthy sex drive—certainly not the kind of fairy envisioned by Andrew Lang or even Walt Disney. Mab helps Barbie cope with her crocodile stage mother who pushes her into modeling to make up for her own failed career. The Crocodile puts Barbie into the hands of a slimy photographer who specializes in traumatizing his young subjects. Fast forward a few years (after all, what’s time in a Block novel?!) Where we find Barbie a discontented, frightened, young woman. Mab has stuck with her through the years and pushes Barbie to break with her past and get control of her future. How she does that involves New York, a beautiful boy named Griffin, a delectable biscuit boy named Todd, and a lovely little camera.

Block has refined the wild, funky prose she patented in Weetzie Bat and has added some toned darkness to the magic of life in Southern California. Fans of the earlier Block books might find this one a little bitter to the taste, but it cuts the sweetness of Weetzie nicely.

Girl Goddess #9 by Francesca Lia Block

How can anyone resist a book that has characters named Tweetie Sweet Pea, Pixie, and Pony? I couldn’t and I’m glad because Girl Goddess #9 is a not a book to be missed. I have to confess, though, that I am a devoted fan of Block’s work. I am one of those people who thought Weetzie Bat was the best thing I’d read since The Changeling (Snyder) or The Pinballs (Byars). (Aside to Ellin…I know you’re gagging right now!) So, I would have read Girl Goddess no matter what she named the characters. I was skeptical when I started Goddess because I was disappointed in Block’s most recent addition to the Weetzie saga – Baby Be Bop. I was pleasantly surprised, though, when I opened Goddess and found Block had put together a collection of short stories instead of her usual stream-of-coolness story. Don’t worry…the usual Southern California hipness is still there along with the edgy characters and surreal situations. Block opens the book with Tweetie Sweet Pea’s story which is a little bit of a departure for her. Tweety Sweet Pea appears to be about three or four years old, and the story revolves around her awakening consciousness that she has to grow up. Block writes about how Tweety perceives her world changing and juxtaposes the child’s world view with that of her off-beat parents who find their safe, comfy world disrupted by the suicide of a favorite rock singer. The stories continue in this vein…change and growth seem to be the overwhelming themes in these stories, and Block generally does a good job communicating teen angst. However, some of the stories end abruptly and seem unfinished, like Block is keeping the characters in mind for a full-length book. Despite this one weakness, Girl Goddess #9 is an intriguing book that reads fast. You might be left wanting more, but I’m sure Block will oblige with another story soon.

Bad Dog: 259 Outspoken, Indecent and Overdressed Dogs by R.D. Rosen, Harry Pritchett, and Rob Battles is very likely one of the funniest books I’ve read in a long, long time. I suppose it doesn’t really even count as reading since it’s a small book of photographs, each captioned with a single sentence, but nonetheless, it’s a book and books are what I blog. I’m taking a chance even writing about it here, since those of you who don’t know me might get the wrong impression once you see some of the pictures in this book. But, I just can’t help myself. If you find humor in photos of dogs in costumes, dogs making funny faces, wet dogs, and sleeping dogs, or if you have ever dressed your dog up, you will appreciate this book. I fully expect this to be followed by Bad Cat, Bad Parakeet, and Bad Ferret. Just a silly little thing to read when you’ve got a few minutes.

Snakes. Talk about giving me the creeps….snakes’ll do it every time. So it’s a wonder I ever picked this book up. BUT, I’m very glad I did, because it’s one of the strangest and compelling books I’ve read in a long time.

Dusa dreams about snakes. Tiny blue snakes, big gold snakes, snakes writhing all around her head. The dreams put her into fits during which she smacks her mother, froths at the mouth, becomes stiff as a board…literally….and pretty much start to drive her crazy. Until…the Gordon sisters enter the picture. Teno and Yali are well-respected scientists who have devoted their lives to curing “snake dreamers” after their sister died of the affliction. They hook up with Dusa and whisk her away to their uncharted island in the Aegean Sea where she discovers the sisters are much more than what they appear on the surface. Fans of Greek mythology will appreciate this twist on the Medusa story and those of you who just like odd stories will also find this one hard to put down. Gorgons, Medusa and her daughters (some of whom wear “bracelets that hiss”), a beautiful enchanted boy, and girls who turn to stone…what more could you ask for in a story?